Gore Verbinski Reveals Rejected Comic Book Movie Pitch (& It Would Have Been Unlike Anything You’ve Seen) [Exclusive]

Gore Verbinski has been out promoting his new movie release, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, and he took the time to discuss possible comic book adaptations he has considered over the years. In fact, there was one adaptation that Verbinski said he pitched to Netflix’s co-chief executive officer, Ted Sarandos, and had the exec look at him like he was out of his mind. Once Verbinski described the plot line of the comic book he wanted to turn into a movie, it was clear that it was unlike anything any studio had ever done with a comic book to this point.

During an exclusive interview with ComicBook about his latest movie, Gore Verbinski was asked if there was a comic book property or superhero that he wanted to adapt into a movie. His answer was shocking. “There’s so much good IP out there that’s just not even been explored,” Verbinski said. He then said that he was looking at doing an adaptation with Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die star Sam Rockwell for a book called Ballistic.

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However, Verbinski said that the studios thought he was insane after he pitched it. “Ballistic [is] about a guy whose best friend is a drug addict gun. Really warped. I remember pitching that to Ted Sarandos and having him just look at me like I was insane.” After this, he said that there are great ideas out there, some great narratives, and that graphic novels are a great way to find new ideas.

Ballistic is a comic from Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan, The Boys) and follows Butch, an air conditioner repairman in Repo City State, a trash island built from DNA-based, living technology with bad attitudes. However, Butch wants to become a master criminal, and to do so, he teams with his friend, Gun, a “drug-addicted, genetically-modified, foul-mouthed firearm.” It was described as taking the worldbuilding of Transmetropolitan but with the ultra-violence of The Boys. Grant Morrison actually called it his favorite comic book released that year.

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Image courtesy of Briarcliff Entertainment

Gore Verbinski had disappeared for several years before finally resurfacing this year with Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. The man who directed the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies hadn’t directed a movie in any form since A Cure for Wellness in 2016. That movie was his only film since he made The Lone Ranger in 2013. Now, with his new film, he is making his big return after nine years on the sidelines.

It is unclear what is next for Gore Verbinski, as he has only directed four movies since leaving the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise in 2007. The good news is that he proved with Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, that he is still the great director who brought fans The Ring and the brilliant animated release, Rango. The film is a gonzo time travel movie that has a deep message, but never stops being entertaining from start to finish. It would be wild to see what he could have done with a project like Ballistic.

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